In recent years it has become the practice to blow mold plastic containers, particularly those of the high density polymer type for packaging many liquids, including soft drinks. In the process of forming the containers, the application of labels to these containers may take place. By applying the labels in the plants where the container is made, the shipment of the container with a label, in particular paper labels or in some instances plastic labels that are adhered to the container by heat sensitive glues, can be made. In the production of such containers, there is always the possibility that the production machinery will malfunction, producing containers that are not acceptable. In particular, where the containers are labeled as part of the container forming process, such as by "in-mold" labeling, or separate labeling after forming the container, there can be problems involving the production of containers with improperly positioned or improperly applied paper or plastic labels. In those cases, the expense of removing labels and then relabeling in some instances has become so labor intensive that it would be more advantageous to be able to remove the badly labeled containers from the production line and then recycle the plastic containers. Recycling involves grinding the plastic containers into a size suitable for remelting and into forming new bottles.
In the reclaiming of defectively labeled bottles, in view of the fact that the bottles are generally labeled with paper labels, it is important that the paper be removed before the plastic is recycled. This has been done in the past by separation systems which will separate paper that has been ground up or pulverized from the more dense plastic materials. This of course also adds to the cost of the reclaiming of the plastic. When the reclaiming is to take place in the bottle forming plant where the plastics are clean, with the exception of the paper label, it is advantageous to have a system for removing the paper labels without requiring expensive separation systems that are presently used, both in reclaiming new, labeled bottles, as well as in the reclaiming of used or returned labeled containers.